Grandma Doesn't Always Know Best
by Linstock
Summary: Grandma had given Nyota a lot of good advice, but it seems she doesn't always know best…or sometimes we are our own worst enemies. A Galia, Nyota and Spock pre-movie academy fic.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Grandma Doesn't Always Know Best.

Author: Linstock

Code: Spock/Uhura/Galia

Rating: G

Betas: (in alphabetical order) atana71 and SpockLikesCats

Type: Humour

Warning: Nudity.

Summary: Grandma had given Nyota a lot of good advice, but it seems she doesn't always know best…or sometimes we are our own worst enemies. (A Galia, Nyota and Spock pre-movie academy fic.)

Disclaimer: do not own the Star trek the characters or profit in from this writing.

AU: OCC? Yes, I know it…but it's for fun. Enjoy.

As always my sincere appreciation to atana71 and SpockLikesCats for their ideas, energy, attention to detail and support. I can not express how much I value this input and encouragement and the time you spend.

##

Galia didn't so much walk into the quarters she shared with Cadet Uhura as charge in, talking full pelt, while getting undressed and dropping her study gear in a messy trail from the door.

"I saw Kirk in the corridor outside the lab again today," she said as she dropped a bag on the floor and her PADD on the bed. She stood with her back to the second bed in the room and started to pull off her uniform. Her voice became muffled as she pulled the cloth over her head but she continued, "I just gave him a look, you know, like this," she dropped her uniform on the floor, put one hand on her hip and looked down her nose at the PADD she'd dumped on her bed. Then she bent over and started removing her right boot. "So he grins at me and does that thing with his eyebrows and although I…" She kicked her boot off and it hit the floor with a bang and Galia turned and plonked herself down on the bed and started to unzip her boot.

At this moment Galia realised something was not right. Galia glanced up as she pulled at the second boot. Nyota sat rigid and immobile on her bed, breathing erratically. Galia's second boot dropped to the floor and she was instantly at her roomie's side.

_Oh my, something is definitely wrong_.

Nyota was pasty looking and trembled slightly, breathing in short, breathy gasps.

"Nyota? Sweetie?" No response. "Nyota," Galia waved her hand in front of Nyota's face. "Nyota - you're scaring me. Speak to me."

Galia moved her hand slowly back and forth in front of Nyota's face until she noticed her eyes start to track the movement, and then she slowly moved the hand over toward her own worried green face. Nyota's head moved stiffly, her eyes following the moving hand until she was looking at Galia. Well no, technically she was "looking at" Galia, but Galia doubted Nyota actually saw her.

"Nyota," said Galia slowly and clearly, "are you hurt?"

Nyota's eyes were large and panicked-looking, but she shook her head, a small tight shake.

"Sweetie, I'm just going to check, okay?" said Galia. Nyota nodded with another quick tight movement. Galia quickly performed the body check they were taught in the field first aid class_. Nope, nothing obvious anyway._ But if she had to guess she'd say Nyota was in some sort of shock.

_Fluids__, people in shock need fluids_, Galia remembered. She dashed to the bathroom and returned with a small mug of water and helped Nyota take a sip. Galia pulled a face as most of the sip went down the front of Nyota's uniform.

_Okay, so water, not such a good idea if the person can't move their lips. Noted. _

"I want you to lie down," said Galia, "I'll help you sweetie."

Gently, she eased Nyota back and pivoted her around until she was lying down on her bed. Galia could feel the faint tremors running through her. She lay on the bed as stiffly as a corpse in full rigor. Galia was surprised Nyota wasn't bowed off the bed, she was so tense.

Galia fussed, fluffing a pillow and forcing it under Nyota's head and adjusting Nyota's hair so it wasn't caught behind her head; Galia knew she hated that. She reminded herself, _Nyota needs you to be calm, so calm down_.

"Speak to me, what's wrong, what's happened?" said Gallia trying to keep her voice steady. Galia was worried, really worried.

Nyota opened her mouth and then closed it again. She clenched her jaw and then took a deep breath and tried again.

"I…I…I…" her trembling increased.

"Okay sweetie, I get it, that you …something. Don't try to speak. Just relax and Aunty Galia will give you a nice soothing Orion foot massage. You like them, don't you?"

Again Nyota did the tight quick nod_. At least she can understand me,_ Galia thought.

Galia carefully removed Nyota's boots and socks taking the opportunity to check her legs for any injury; there was a bruise on Nyota's upper thigh but nothing that would cause this reaction. Still the bruise increased Galia's concern.

Thoughtfully Galia sat cross legged at the end of the bed and placed Nyota's two bare feet in her lap. Orion foot massage, the nMauseula, was an art form and Galia was proficient, if not a true mistress of the craft. Proficiency alone would have been enough to increase her price by ten percent on the slave block. She was quite proud of that. Humans often talked about knowing their self-worth; well, all Orions knew their worth… right down to the last credit.

NMauseula practitioners know every system in the body is affected by massaging the appropriate part of the foot. Galia was fascinated to find a similar discipline existed on Earth and it proved very helpful in adapting the Orion massage form to human physiology. Of course nMauseula was much more effective, that went without saying; when an Orion wanted to stimulate something you had best believe it got stimulated! The paradox of nMauseula was although it was all about stimulation, if the right nerve was stimulated in the right way, a nMauseula adept could reduce an irate Klingon to a puddle of warm goo.

Galia picked Nyota's left foot and started to massage. She worked steadily and firmly. Nyota's feet were as delicate as the rest of her, fine-boned and high-arched, unmarred by corns or calluses and with the second toe just a smidge longer than the big toe. Galia worked the stiff foot, feeling it slowly soften in her hands like plasticine being softened by warmth and movement.

Speaking softly Galia said, "Nyota I want you to breathe with me. In for the count of six and then out for the count of seven. Here we go in, two, three, four, five, six and out, two three, four, five, six, seven…" Nyota and Galia often used this simple breathing relaxation technique and Nyota quickly fell into the familiar rhythm. Galia started to work on the other foot and kept the breathing rhythm to six breaths a minute.

She felt the tension slowly drain from Nyota and the faint trembling diminish and then stop. During this time Galia became aware of something incongruous, a scent that she did not associate with her goody-two-shoes roomie. Galia smelled arousal. You can trust an Orion to detect arousal and this was strong. Galia's own preoccupation and then her concern about Nyota had stopped her picking it up at first. She was really starting to wonder what had happed to her roomie that had shaken her up so badly…. but also really turned her on.

Galia decided to stop the direct questioning and take a different approach. "Nyota, what did you do after we left the room this morning? I went to the computer lab and started running my tests. You were planning on going to the library weren't you?"

"Uh huh," Nyota nodded and Galia noticed that the movement was more fluid this time. Her voice was soft and a bit dreamy like someone who had just woken, "I went to the library and searched the journals for that paper on syntax. There is that old inconsistency between Jensen and Bartook's on the usage of the word "becl'a". I thought I could use that as a basis for the discussion of mistranslation and the way errors become entrenched and are still influential even when discredited. Anyway I've found another inconsistency between major authorities and I wanted to see if it had been noted in the journals yet..."

Once started Nyota's voice became firmer and she prattled on about "inconsistency this" and "social influences that" and "embedded cultural something else". Galia sighed mentally. She didn't know how Nyota could stand it all this airy-fairy social science stuff. Galia liked computers and coding; you knew where you were with coding…well, most of the time.

Eventually Galia felt that Nyota was now comfortable enough for her to move on.

"Okay sweetie, you did your thing in the library and then where did you go?"

"Huh?" said Nyota still caught up in the detailed, (excruciatingly detailed from Galia's point of view) analysis of translation. "Oh, I went to the gym, we had that game of Parreses Squares scheduled; Com against Engineering. We won but it wasn't easy. Watson whacked me across the thigh so hard I bet there'll be bruises for days." Nyota reached down and lifted the left side of her uniform skirt and Galia saw the area that was slightly discoloured. "I was limping for an hour after that. But we won and we're second in the league now."

"That's nice" said Galia, she was concentrating on working a really hard lump out of Nyota's left foot. Honestly Nyota shoulders must be giving her hell if this was anything to judge by.

"And then…" prompted Gallia gently.

"Then we showered and went to the mess and I was sitting eating with Marie and Sueling from the team when I got a message with my results for the linguistics paper and translation test."

Galia felt enlightenment dawning.

"Not the result you expected?"

"Not the grade I deserved!"

_Yup, that's my girl._ Galia never knew anyone who took their grades as seriously as Nyota.

Nyota continued, "You know I work hard."

_There was the understatement of the decade_, Galia thought with a sigh.

"And I am not unrealistic."

_Might be best to let that one pass…_

"But I swear Commander Spock hates me."

"Nyota he is a Vulcan. He doesn't hate anyone. Hating would be feeling, and he's Vulcan sooo... he doesn't hate, full stop."

"Oh right," Nyota said in a dismissive voice. "He doesn't hate me, that's why he marks all my work down, and that's why he made me repeat the word I mispronounced **twelve times** in front of the whole tutorial group before he was prepared to let it go."

"You mean, before you got it right?"

"Well. Yes. Okay. But he could have done it in private after the class and …"

"But when you told me about it you said you challenged him in class.."

"Yes, but…"

"...And he answered you and proved his point and corrected you until you could get it right?"

"Yes," she, sounded like she was frowning. Galia looked up quickly- oh yes, Uhura was not only frowning actually pouting too. "Whose side are you on?"

"I didn't realise there were 'sides,'" replied Galia. "Has it struck you that Commander Spock devotes a lot time and effort to ensuring you reach the level of perfection that you demand of yourself, morso than any of your other instructors, and yet you resent him for it?"

Nyota did not reply.

"He is so …"

"Right?"

Nyota's lips thinned out and her eyes flashed.

_Let it go_, Galia thought, _and move the girl on. _

"So you got the results and decided that Commander Spock's 'vendetta to humiliate Cadet Uhura' was continuing."

"You can sneer if you want too, but it's true. He seems to expect more of me than any of the other students. I'm sure he has a separate marking rubric that applies only to my work and he never, ever, lets anything go, he hammers away on any small point until I want to scream…"

"Who does that remind me of? Let me think." Gaila tilted her head to one side and dramatically blinked a few times before pointing one perfectly manicured nail at Nyota's face, "Oh, yes! You!" said Galia.

Nyota frowned.

"It's true," said Gaila, raising her hands in completely insincere mock surrender, "that is **exactly **what you do."

"Well, that's...I mean I...it's just...It's just different okay," said Nyota in a sulky voice. "I'm mostly like that about myself and on the rare occasion that I'm referring to someone else at least I have their best interests at heart. He's just a controlling megalomaniac in instructor's clothing."

Then Galia felt it, through Nyota's foot, the faint trembling was there again. _Okay, so now we're getting close._

"What did you do?" Galia asked in an almost disinterested tone.

"I finished my lunch and mentally reviewed the translation exercise. I was absolutely sure I had performed better than **that **mark indicated. I can make mistakes, and I can admit that, but I could not see how I had performed so badly that I deserved a 62%." Nyota continued.

Galia suppressed another sigh. Most cadets would be thrilled to get 62% from the notoriously perfectionist Commander Spock, but not her roomie. Nyota only saw the marks she hadn't got. Galia knew that when Nyota looked at 62% she saw -38%, if she had a 98% grade Nyota saw was a -2%. She really needed to let it go, but the concept of "good enough" was one Nyota had more trouble grasping than warp core physics.

"So after lunch I went over to Commander Spock's office to discuss the issue."

Galia rolled her eyes safe in the knowledge that Nyota couldn't see her.

"Straight away before I'd even said a word he just blindsided me by saying" and Nyota slipped into a very creditable imitation of the Commander's precise tone, "'Cadet Uhura this is fortuitous. I was intending to email you to ask if you are interested in the position of my lab assistant next semester. I will be running the communication lab practicals and believe that your aptitude and superior aural acuity mean that you are adequately qualified for the position.' Just like that, Galia. I'd be 'adequately' qualified. **Adequately**. Ha!"

_Careful here,_ Galia thought, this_ is not the time to blurt out, "What an honour, wow! One of the most distinguished academics on staff, the youngest professor on record, the notoriously hard-line, finicky, pernickety, perfectionist Vulcan thinks you "adequate", which is like a normal person thinking you're __**amazing**__. No this was the time for a non-committal, Humm?_

"Humm?"

"Yes, I know, I thought the same," said Nyota radiating indignation, "Humm? Indeed, exactly."

"Did you accept?"

"Well...I didn't '_not' _accept. I know an opportunity when I see one, even if it means working with a boss who hates me. I said I had to check my other commitments."

"He asked you, how much can he hate you?" Galia asked, firmly resisting more pressing questions like, "_Are you nuts?_"

Nyota "humphed", crossed her arms over her chest and looked sulky again, "He was right wasn't he? I'm best qualified for the post, even though he'd rather swallow his own tongue than say that. Mr Perfect Diction couldn't say, 'You are the best qualified student". Oh no, he had to say, 'are adequately qualified'." Nyota "humphed" again.

_You forgot to mention modest, _thought Galia.

"Once that was out of the way I raised the issue of my marks and we had a discussion of the topic." Nyota continued.

_Careful, Galia remember the object is to keep her talking. _ "Discussion?"

"Yes, discussion, a lively debate, an intense exchange of ideas, perhaps..it got a bit.. **heated… **at one point but it was still a discussion."

"Commander Spock was heated?" Galia was surprised into asking.

"Well, no, not actually. He was infuriatingly calm. So I was heated enough for both of us."

_I bet._

"Ohhh, you should have seen him dodging and weaving, figuratively at least, trying to justify his actions. Ha!"

Galia could feel the tension starting to build again.

"He... **logic-ed** me." Nyota said bitterly, "Every time I raised a point he countered it. He was so… so… uppity and calm and prissy, I just wanted to slap him."

Galia felt that Nyota's reaction to Commander Spock boded ill for future negotiations with other species if her response to being thwarted was to slap them. Galia frowned; this was all so out of character for her friend. Nyota was usually a calm and forgiving person, patient to a fault, dedicated and balanced in her judgements except when it came to Commander Spock.

_Ohhhh….really, mega-ohhhh. Riddle me this Galia of Orion, what can cause a well- balanced and intelligent woman to act like a hormone-oppressed, semi-hysterical teenager?_ Galia started to grin.

Nyota noticed, "See, you want to slap him too. Ha! Me first! Bumptious, pedantic, logical Vulcan."

Nyota started to calm down and Galia could feel the tension oozing into her legs. "He was just so overwhelming, so logical, so calm, I felt like I was in a sword fight and I was the one being backed inexorably into the wall and the next thing," Nyota made a sudden jabbing motion with the arm, "straight through the heart."

_Well you got that right ... and wrong,_ thought Galia.

"Then I thought of my nyanya."

"Who?"

"My nyanya," Nyota sounded exasperated, "my grandmother."

"Oh, the female elder of the family," said Galia and nodded. " A source of much wisdom."

Nyota's looked dubious but then nodded. Her voice sank lower. "There was this trick nyanya taught me. I'd used it before and it had always worked."

Nyota's voice had a definite wobble in it now. "Galia my own **mind** betrayed me!" there was desperation and a tinge of panic in Nyota's voice now. Her poor little feet were flexing like claws. In a whisper she said, "It was horrible."

"What was, sweetie? Tell Aunty Galia."

Nyota made a strangled noise somewhere between a moan and a cough. It was not a good noise. "Gnaaa,"

"Nyyy-ooo-taaa... what did your grandmother tell you?"

Nyotas slowly replied as if reciting, "When someone is intimidating you or you feel on the back f…foot then …then… you need to level the playing field."

"Okay, how?"

Grams said, "picture the person….with...no...clothes…on…" Nyota's voice had trailed away to only whisper.

"And you pictured Commander Spock?"

Nyota nodded. "Galia," Nyota said is a tight strangled voice," Nyanya just didn't know!"

Gaila just gently patted her friend on the knee then resumed massaging her right foot. "I'm sure she didn't sweetie."

TBC…

AN: I'd love to know what you think so far. If it made you smile leave a comment. Remember the warning about nudity…well you'll just have to keep reading….


	2. Chapter 2

Title: Grandma Doesn't Always Know Best.

Author: Linstock

Code: Spock/Uhura/Gaila

Rating: G

Type: Humour

Betas: (in alphabetical order) atana71 and SpockLikesCats

Warning: Nudity.

Summary: Grandma had given Nyota a lot of good advice, but it seems she doesn't always know best…or sometimes we are our own worst enemies.

Disclaimer: do not own the Star trek the characters or profit in from this writing.

Chapter 2

Nyota's voice now sounded flat and defeated. "I've used this technique before and it works. I used it with my high school gym teacher and it worked fine. He was obnoxious. He intimidated everyone and forced us do things that were just beyond our capabilities. One girl had already broken her arm on the high jump he bullied her into earlier in the year. He said we had to challenge ourselves, but there is a difference between being challenged and bullying. We were all terrified of him. One day he started in on me. I pictured him with no clothes on; and poof," she made a little exploding action with her fingertips, "his clothes sort of exploded off him and there he was. Well thankfully my mind protected me and he had on some droopy, old, yellowed Y fronts," Nyota wrinkled her nose at the memory, "but it worked, and I was able to stand up to him.

"Y fronts?"Gaila enquired.

"Tighty whiteys, 'though these ones were **not** white." Nyota shuddered.

Gaila still looked blank.

"Male's undergarments, wayyy uglier than Starfleet issue," said Nyota, "Not important."

"I see," said Gaila making a mental note for further study on the net later.

"I used the technique at my Star fleet interview. Talk about intimidating… I had Captain Bond, Commodore Stibbons, Captain Pike and Commander A'tulla on the panel. I swear Commodore Stibbons could freeze water with his eyes alone. I would hate to be on the other side of a negotiating table from him! Commander A'tulla - had her antennae pointed right at me the whole time and that's just plain aggressive. She was in full Andorian uniform too, complete with his ceremonial Shrar hanging at her side. And El Captitane Bondino," said Nyota, snapping off a smart salute, "Was the brisk efficient man of action we all know and avoid. How such a senior officer gets away with being a bottom pincher I can not imagine."

"At least he is equal opportunity," said Gaila.

"Huh?"

"He'll pinch any bottom, male, or female or other. If it's species with no bottom I'm sure he'd improvise."

"It's still not much of a recommendation."

"True."

"Anyway, compared with them Captain Pike seemed quite friendly and you know how Pike can be when he wants."

"You had a tough line-up there," said Gaila.

"Damn straight," replied Nyota.

"So what happened?"

"I was quaking in my boots, so I thought of Nyanya's little trick," and Nyota raised her hand in front of her face and with all her fingertips pressed closely together. "Poof," she said, and slowly opened her hand wide. "Clothes scattered messily all over the room and there sat four butt-naked panel members," Nyota grinned. "Thankfully they were all sitting behind a desk or it would have been wayyyy too much information."

"Uh...that's _**your **_mind, Nyota, remember that."

"I don't know," mused Nyota. "Maybe I channel a sort of psychic power. I think they were spot on correct. Once you see, Stubborn Stibbins with man boobs, thick grey chest hair and tufts of wiry underarm hair sticking out," said Nyota illustrating by waving her finger in the vicinity of her armpit, "He's a whole lot easier to talk to. Commander A'tulla was sort of sweet, all sky blue, scrawny and vulnerable looking. And Pincher Bond…**Eehew**," Nyota shuddered dramatically.

"What about Captain Pike?" asked Gaila eagerly.

Nyota raised a considering eyebrow. "Not bad actually, not bad at all. He's getting on a bit but still _**very**_ nicely toned and lean."

"I'd do him in minute," said Gaila with a sigh.

Nyota looked down her nose at Gaila -it was the only way she could look at her seeing the Orion was sitting at the end of her bed and still gently rubbing her feet.

"Gaila, that's not news."

Gaila shrugged.

"Anyway the interview board complimented me after the interview on how relaxed and natural I was. I suppose after you interview twenty or so aspiring cadets who are barely able to form a sentence due to nerves, it stands out if someone is relaxed."

"Okay, so I get it –you're a maestro at mentally stripping people and have used this advanced skill as a force for good, to right wrongs and further your career."

_Who would have thought,_ gloated Gaila, _still waters do run deep_.

Nyota nodded.

"So what happened today?"

Nyota's face scrunched up, "Today my own brain betrayed me."

She propped herself up on her elbows and looked at Gaila with sad, tortured eyes. "If you can't trust your own brain Gaila who **can** you trust?" Nyota flopped back on the bed with a deep sigh.

"So…?"

"So, like I said, the Commander was being a prissy, picky, pedantic, puerile, pompous, persistent, precious, ponderous, perspicacious, presumptuous, punctilious, pain!"

Gaila couldn't help herself - she let go of Nyota's feet and applauded.

Nyota nodded in brief acknowledgement

"And I took a deep breath…"

Gaila took a deep breath.

"Briefly shut my eyes, and opened them and..."

"Poof"' said Gaila, using the hand gesture Nyota had used earlier.

"No," said Nyota, "no poof. He just stood there fully clothed."

##

Gaila's shoulders slumped. "Well what's the problem then, the failure of your mental clothes- removing ability?"

Nyota was pursing her lips…hard, and glaring at Gaila.

"Okay, I'll be quiet," said Gaila, and pretended to zip her lips together.

Nyota made a strange strangled noise something like, "Nuggh." "He stood looking at me, still talking and without the slightest change in his facial expression, slid his hand down the front of that licorice jacket."

"That jacket that moulds so lovingly to his lean but muscular chest and back?" sighed Gaila.

"Yes, that one," snapped Nyota, most unreasonably, Gaila thought. She was only trying to help create the right atmosphere.

"Then he shrugged out of it, and hung it on the back of the chair. Hung it!" Nyota wailed. "He is even neat in MY imagination."

"Next he grabbed the bottom of the black undershirt. The tight black undershirt…" Nyota's voice wobbled a bit, "and pulled it over his head in one fluid move." Nyota whimpered, "I swear I never knew my imagination was that good. I saw every muscle, every blasted muscle in his chest and arms and shoulders rippled with the movement. Why did we have to study basic anatomy?" she demanded.

"Because it is a compulsory unit in Field First Aid so we can efficiently give care during emergencies," stated Gaila.

"I know," said Nyota and she sounded close to tears, "but it's not helpful."

Gaila could tell that this was the time for some serious foot massage and quickly found the points connected to Nyota's speech centres, massaging them in earnest.

"He had such gorgeous chest hair. Do Vulcans even have chest hair? Evidently my brain decided they do. Sort of heart shaped," Nyota's hands lingered more than was necessary as she outlined the shape on her own chest, she took a ragged breath, " springy, yet silky soft and all arrowing down in a trail that disappeared into the waistband of those fitted black trousers. Nuggh."

"Ah yes," said Gaila dreamily, "the happy trail, I know it well"

"GAILA!"

"What? I didn't mean the Commander's happy.. oh never mind, I'm sorry, you were saying?"

"Well, about then Commander Spock looked at me and asked if the heat was too high in his room. He could tell I was flushed; I was probably sweating. I don't remember," Nyota was starting to babble.

"He lifted one leg and rested it over his knees yoga style you know pose of the..something bird..and...and unzipped his boot and removed it and the sock. He folded the sock, **folded**** it,** and put it in his boot top and placed them next to the chair. And did the boot and sock. What is wrong with me? All I wanted was an even playing field. All I wanted was, 'Poof'," said Nyota plaintively.

"Poof," she repeated in a pathetic small voice.

"Poof," concurred Gaila in a sympatheticly. "And then what Ny?"

He said, " 'Cadet Uhura', and he seemed a little concerned. He wasn't actually frowning, but he seemed concerned, 'would you like me to outline the duties of the lab assistant position?' and I must have said 'yes', because off he went again."

"I have no idea what he said." Nyota almost wailed, "I could be expected to shinny up the central flag pole and hang by my ankles and I wouldn't know."

##

Gaila was frowning, "It seems unlikely."

"Unlikely! Any more unlikely than the Commander reaching down and undoing the button on his waist band, then the fly on his trousers?"

"No, not more unlikely than _**that**_. I mean he must do that, sometimes, but not in the office with you there - or any cadet, for that matter," replied Gaila.

"Exactly. But with one fluid move he slid his trousers off with his regulation undershorts and folded them on top of the jacket. Thank goodness he was standing partly behind his chair. I could see his full back view reflected in the window behind him…. Nuggh." Nyota, overcome by extreme emotion, ripped the pillow from under her head and slammed it over her face and started hitting it.

Gaila felt she had to intervene. She moved forward and gently restrained the flailing arm and the pillow.

"Friends do not let friends self harm," she said soothingly.

_Of course Orion friends could help friends self gratify. _Gallia wistfully cast an eye towards her "goodie drawer". But that was not to be. Gaila sighed and decided this evening she would find Jim Kirk and see if she could make his clothes go, "Poof".

"Pity friends can't stop friends imagining a Commanding Officer performing slow strip tease." Nyota snarled interrupting Gaila's train of thoughts.

"Be fair, Nyota, he wasn't teasing."

"No, he wasn't, and that made it worse." Nyota was hitting the bed now with both hands. "He was so matter-of-fact and so goddamn gorgeously erotic and he just kept talking calmly telling me my duties! My own brain did that to me. I did that to myself. I am a menace. I will never be able to look at him again with out …. Ohh God…without…" her fingers made pitiful little wanting to touch movements, like an infant who's favourite toy was just out of reach, "Nuggh!"

Nytoa grabbed the pillow and stuck it back over her face. Gaila waited, there was no repeat of the hitting so she let it be.

A muffled voice emerged from under the pillow and said, "Do you know what I did?"

Gaila perked up. This sounded interesting. "No, what did you do?"

"I ran."

"Oh." _Don't sound disappointed. Do __**not **__sound disappointed_.

"Yep, I just garbled some nonsense about being late for another appointment and I bolted out of his office like there was a le'matya after me. I ran down the hall, across the quad and I didn't stop until I got to my room."

"I see," said Gaila.

Nyota was oblivious of her friend's disappointment.

"What is wrong with me?" Wailed Nyota, throwing the pillow across the room. "My brain should be removed and cleaned or rebooted or something. He must think I am crazy - or at least unbalanced."

She sat up and looked pleadingly at Gaila. "What is wrong with me?"

Gaila knew this was a delicate moment. Her repressed bookish little roomie had been totally unprepared for this.

"Sweetie, you can only ignore something of so long and it will **make** itself heard. You know you have been avoiding relationships and …sex… for a long time and that is not good for you. Don't forget; a grown woman does not live by books alone."

"You mean this could keep happening?"

"'Fraid so."

"...so what you're saying is..'

"Since it's not in your schedule to get laid anytime soon, yes. That's what I'm sayin'

"Oh God," said Nyota lowering her head into her hands, "I wont be able to go anywhere. "

"Well, in your case I rather think it effect will be isolated to just the commander."

"The commander?"

"The commander." Gaila paused and let that sink in. "Have you ever wondered why he riles you up sooo much? Why you, a normally calm and cool professional turn into a crazed virago around him?"

Nyota frowned, "I thought it was because he was an irritating, self opinionated, hyper- logical Vulcan."

"True," said Gaila, "But why would that worry you? If it were anyone else you'd just mentally shrug and let it be."

Nyota's face was a mask of horror.

Gaila made a show of flipping an imaginary coin and caught it and slapped it on her wrist. She said, "One side of the coin is hate, the other -" she pretended to turn it over, "is …love."

"But, but.. I.." Nyota was spluttering.

"It's all heightened arousal states. I am Orion and I know about heightened arousal states in all their variety and glory. I can tell you, at no charge, that when you were describing the Commanders slow disrobing I had a hard time controlling myself, the backwash of arousal coming off _you_ was so intense. Pheromone city. You," Gaila jabbed Nyota in the ribs, "Are so turned on that you would probably climax if he so much as breathed on you."

"Nuggh"

"Face it."

Nyota looked around desperately.

"You can't run all the time; it was bound to catch up with you."

"I don't believe you! Its just not me, I'm not like that! I've got goals, I've got…"

"Hormones and needs and desires," said Gaila, "everyone does. Let's do an experiment. Close your eyes, go on close them. Okay, picture that full length reflection of the Commander's back view in his office window. Can you see him? Okay," Gaila's voice became soothing and lilting as she purred, "notice his… broad shoulders… mus-cu-lar back with the deep smooth indent along his spine just right to run your fingers down … down to narrow hips, with that oh-so-touchable hollow in each check of that ..smoothly rounded ..tight ..ass, ..his ..long ..lean ..legs…"

As Gaila watched and Nyota's nostrils flared, she took a deep, unsteady breaths, and sweat broke out on her forehead.

Gaila pursed her lips and said in a matter of fact voice, "In my informed opinion, as an Orion and a woman, if you do not jump that man it could be injurious to your health."

"Nuggh!"

Nyota closed her eyes and held up her hand. "Okay, lets accept - and I don't, mind you - but for argument's sake, let's just accept that you are right and I have some sort of weird suppressed wish-fulfilment thing going on. Fine - I'll avoid him. That's easy to do. I'll turn down the job, sit at the back of lectures, transfer my tutorial group and stay away from him. I can do that."

"Sweetie, it won't be that easy. You know the truth now. Your mind just supplied you with an information dump detailing **exactly** what it wants. No way can you un-know that."

"Sure I can. I hated him before. I can go back to that H-A-T-E and avoid, perfectly logical."

Just then Nyota's comm pinged. She had a message. She stood and walked over to the comm, leaving a trail of roiling pheromones in her wake. As she sat and read, her eyes grew wider.

She finally turned to Gaila her face a mask of horror, "It's from Commander Spock. It's my schedule for the lab assistant job. It seems I accepted the position somewhere between him removing his socks and his jocks." She looked panicked, " I might have, Gaila, I might have **proposed** and I wouldn't remember. "

Gaila pulled sympathetic face.

"He apologises for keeping me so long." She looked Gaila, "**He** apologises. If he knew what I was thinking he would probably have nerve-pinched me to put me out of my misery." Nyota read some more, "He saw me running across the quad and says he didn't realise that I had an appointment of such urgency and he regrets any inconvenience he caused but detaining me. Then he says when we are working together I must make my needs clear and he will endeavour to accommodate them. " Nyota's voice trailed away and there was a long pause.

Nyota sat and stared at the comm looking all soft and dewy, "He **apologises,**" she whispered. "He wants to accommodate my needs." Her eyes filled with tears, "That's so sweet."

Gaila sighed deeply. She could tell it was going to be a long semester, a **very** long semester indeed.

The End.

AN: Dear reader, if you smiled or rolled you eyes, even once, as you read you are honour bound to leave a comment and say when..its the rules…

I can not thank atana71 and SpockLikesCats adequately for their contribution. Time is a precious, scarce thing, that they choose to spend their time assisting me, a stranger in all but the love of Star Trek, is both amazing and gratifying. I can not express how much I value their contribution.


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